The theme of the essay reminded me of a different type of rabbit hole searching with which I experimented for short while during 1969-1971. That was/this is experimenting with mind-altering substances. A wise man I knew likened seeking truth with these substances to be like traveling in a taxi. When one reached "home" it was best to leave the taxi approach home/truth on foot and request entrance. Many riders become attached to riding in the taxi and opt to stay in the taxi rather than leave it.
That’s so true. I have a friend who has been sending me Covid info for years. It’s so depressing. And I am sad for her. Feeling sorry for people you can’t help can be soul destroying. The same reason I don’t watch the news.
I didn't need to read Matt Presti's essay, your words were enough to remind me of how I lived in rabbit hole conspiracy hell from 2004-2010, losing friends and a 24 year marriage. Crawled out of it on my own when I couldn't stand my Self anymore and have never looked back.
I still delve into conspiracies, but left my zealotry about exposing them to everyone I meet 15 years ago. I have new friends and was able to remember my spiritual essence so it was not a waste of time for me. So glad to be part of your substack community.
This is great. It brings to mind a quote from the main character of "The Way of the Peaceful Warrior", by Dan Millman, Socrates: "The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new." It's often attributed to Socrates, the philosopher, but he never said it. Good to have you back.
I thought that was coined by Buckminster Fuller but it's something any wise person can see. When do we get started building the new? What is the next step we ought to be doing?
It really doesn't matter who said it, the sentiment is spot on.
If you don't mind me saying so, building a new me is an excellent thing to do but it's not enough. We now have to build a new ME/WE. Yes that's how it has to go. We have to start sharing and working with others and building things together. Alone we can do nothing except fool ourselves. We must work with others, that is part of why we're going through this whole thing. This whole maelstrom.
Denise, I agree that building something new matters. Where I differ is on the ME/WE part.
I've spent most of my life watching groups, movements, organizations, and communities eventually get captured by hierarchy, ideology, ego, or simple human nature. The banner changes, but the game often stays the same.
For me, the strongest foundation is still the sovereign individual. Build a stronger Me first. A clearer Me. A more aware Me. Then cooperate voluntarily with others when paths naturally cross.
I don't see myself joining a herd, old or new. I see independent people sharing ideas, helping each other when appropriate, and then returning to their own path. A network, perhaps. A movement, not so much.
The maelstrom may be teaching us both lessons at once: how to stand on our own feet and how to work together without surrendering ourselves.
Yes, and furthermore, when I say Me, I know I'm connected to other Me's, which is from where We's come! I plant seeds for others since I can't force their own growth. The more I work on Me, the better I can serve the We.
I do it by withdrawing from the "structure" in any way I can and supporting others who do the same. For example, I support the regenerative farming movement. I buy organic whenever I can. I avoid buying highly processed foods. I boycott the medical industry by using alternative naturopathic methods (I use natural remedies...e.g., DMSO, herbal and homeopathic remedies, diet, flower essences, etc.) The medical industry is needed for some things but disease "treatment drugs" often do more harm than good and are profit driven. I did NOT get vaccinated. I dug for information as to what was in it first, and ultimately decided not to. I grow some of my own food. I buy locally whenever I can. I do not buy into fearmongering and I avoid watching corporate owned mainstream news. I do a lot of little things like that. I'm sure you can think of more. I almost forgot! I avoid buying anything plastic to the best of my ability. I no longer drink bottled water, for example. I try not to buy anything I don't need (with the exception of books). I try to limit my time online.....I could go on, but there are many more things I do on a daily basis. Little things, but they add up. I support orgs that are devoted to informing the population with a donation (knowledge is power). I basically live on the fringe of society to best of my ability. I hope this helps.
Jean-Sebastien, I think there's a lot of truth in that. Most rabbit holes seem to contain a mixture of signal and noise, truth and distortion. The deeper you go, the more discernment matters.
I've come to view rabbit holes less as destinations and more as digging sites. Sometimes you find a gold coin. Sometimes you find a rusty can. Sometimes you find both in the same shovel full.
The challenge isn't finding a rabbit hole that is 100% true. The challenge is learning how to separate the gold from the dirt without becoming attached to either.
And thank you for the kind words. The old Wolf got knocked down pretty hard, but he's still here, still breathing, and still howling at the moon.
The wolf is back, and he's better than ever! Thank you for this wonderful article!
At a certain point in life, you discover that the world is ruled by very evil people, that power is very corrupt and corrupts anyone who approaches it. Why does this happen? Because many of us, including ourselves, haven't understood fundamental things about life; we live in darkness and are slowly evolving. The biggest mistake is to think that ignorance and stupidity are exclusively external to us. Things will improve when we improve too!
I'm so glad your back. I've heard you're on X, but when I try to find you there I get mostly Elon and Trump. I'm an old fart and trying to navigate X is difficult. This was excellent. Thank you.
Thank you. When I went on X looking for you I was searching Cosmic Onion and never even thought to search for Lone Wolf. I've had a couple of other favorites go to X and I think Linkedin and I just don't follow them anymore. Boo-hoo-hoo!
I love almost everything you write and your formating is awesome!
Rabbit holes fill my inbox everyday. Yet there is nothing, and I mean nothing, that suggests what I think we ought to put on our priority list. And that is talking about strategy. Once we have been down rabbit holes, we know they get deeper but knowing many is enough. We don't need to know more, fascinating as they are. What we need to be doing now is talk, talk, talk all the time about the rabbit holes in mixed company, (mixed meaning "rabbit hole divers" and "normies") We are making the normies feel too comfortable in their ignorance. We are playing into their charade just to save them the embarrassment of being stupid. We need to confront stupid. I know, it sounds cruel, but they are so stupid that they don't know the situation their ignorance puts us all in. It is dire and it is urgent and it is a matter of life and death. Not just for me, or for them, but for all life. I don't want to go on being polite, I want to confront. Doesn't that word rattle a lot of people. The opposite is to ignore and avoid, and we should know in our eternal wisdom that that is the worse thing we can do. Because that means we play into the charade and keep the normies thinking it's all wonderful and fine.
Denise, I get where you're coming from. The temptation is to grab people by the shoulders and shake them awake. Most of us who have spent years down various rabbit holes have felt that frustration.
The challenge is that confrontation rarely changes minds. In many cases it just hardens positions. People tend to defend their worldview when they feel attacked, even when the facts are staring them in the face.
My own view is that awareness spreads more like seeds than like sledgehammers. Show people the contradictions. Ask questions. Tell stories. Point out patterns. Let them connect the dots themselves. Some will never look. Some will peek into the hole. A few will climb all the way down.
I agree that pretending everything is fine helps nobody. But I also think awakening can't be forced. The best we can do is keep talking, keep questioning, and keep holding up a mirror. The people who are ready will see themselves in it.
The goal isn't to win arguments. The goal is to help people notice the board they're standing on.
If you're a billionaire, you get to:
- Release ticks as a bioweapon
- Spy on billions of people
- Subvert elections & silence critics
- Migrate millions to save $10,000 per hire
- Fund Civil Wars and endless chaos
- Make lab grown meat and force it on others
- Shoot off Rockets into the air
- Break US anti-trust laws to consolidate market power
Meanwhile, these same billionaires want to lock you in 15 minute cities where you can't afford anything and strip away all your remaining freedoms.
The 4th Branch of Government is controlled by billionaires. Roscoe Smith lV on X
Not a rabbit hole...just some simple facts.
yep
Do you fund them though?
not sure what you mean Denise?
The theme of the essay reminded me of a different type of rabbit hole searching with which I experimented for short while during 1969-1971. That was/this is experimenting with mind-altering substances. A wise man I knew likened seeking truth with these substances to be like traveling in a taxi. When one reached "home" it was best to leave the taxi approach home/truth on foot and request entrance. Many riders become attached to riding in the taxi and opt to stay in the taxi rather than leave it.
good advice
That’s so true. I have a friend who has been sending me Covid info for years. It’s so depressing. And I am sad for her. Feeling sorry for people you can’t help can be soul destroying. The same reason I don’t watch the news.
I don't watch tell-lie-vision either. Thanks Robin
Yep and a lot of those that go into the rabbit hole obsess over details and forget the big picture.
https://robc137.substack.com/p/left-brain-vs-whole-brain-in-battlestar
I didn't need to read Matt Presti's essay, your words were enough to remind me of how I lived in rabbit hole conspiracy hell from 2004-2010, losing friends and a 24 year marriage. Crawled out of it on my own when I couldn't stand my Self anymore and have never looked back.
I still delve into conspiracies, but left my zealotry about exposing them to everyone I meet 15 years ago. I have new friends and was able to remember my spiritual essence so it was not a waste of time for me. So glad to be part of your substack community.
I like Matt Presti because he is well versed in the Walter Russell teachings. Kudos on your spiritual growth.
This is great. It brings to mind a quote from the main character of "The Way of the Peaceful Warrior", by Dan Millman, Socrates: "The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new." It's often attributed to Socrates, the philosopher, but he never said it. Good to have you back.
I thought that was coined by Buckminster Fuller but it's something any wise person can see. When do we get started building the new? What is the next step we ought to be doing?
Yes, I've heard it was Bucky who said it, but can't verify that. I'm building a new Me, which is all I can build.
It really doesn't matter who said it, the sentiment is spot on.
If you don't mind me saying so, building a new me is an excellent thing to do but it's not enough. We now have to build a new ME/WE. Yes that's how it has to go. We have to start sharing and working with others and building things together. Alone we can do nothing except fool ourselves. We must work with others, that is part of why we're going through this whole thing. This whole maelstrom.
Denise, I agree that building something new matters. Where I differ is on the ME/WE part.
I've spent most of my life watching groups, movements, organizations, and communities eventually get captured by hierarchy, ideology, ego, or simple human nature. The banner changes, but the game often stays the same.
For me, the strongest foundation is still the sovereign individual. Build a stronger Me first. A clearer Me. A more aware Me. Then cooperate voluntarily with others when paths naturally cross.
I don't see myself joining a herd, old or new. I see independent people sharing ideas, helping each other when appropriate, and then returning to their own path. A network, perhaps. A movement, not so much.
The maelstrom may be teaching us both lessons at once: how to stand on our own feet and how to work together without surrendering ourselves.
That's a balance humanity has rarely mastered.
Yes, and furthermore, when I say Me, I know I'm connected to other Me's, which is from where We's come! I plant seeds for others since I can't force their own growth. The more I work on Me, the better I can serve the We.
I agree, it doesn't matter who said it, especially since the information is floating around in space, waiting for us to tune into it.
I do it by withdrawing from the "structure" in any way I can and supporting others who do the same. For example, I support the regenerative farming movement. I buy organic whenever I can. I avoid buying highly processed foods. I boycott the medical industry by using alternative naturopathic methods (I use natural remedies...e.g., DMSO, herbal and homeopathic remedies, diet, flower essences, etc.) The medical industry is needed for some things but disease "treatment drugs" often do more harm than good and are profit driven. I did NOT get vaccinated. I dug for information as to what was in it first, and ultimately decided not to. I grow some of my own food. I buy locally whenever I can. I do not buy into fearmongering and I avoid watching corporate owned mainstream news. I do a lot of little things like that. I'm sure you can think of more. I almost forgot! I avoid buying anything plastic to the best of my ability. I no longer drink bottled water, for example. I try not to buy anything I don't need (with the exception of books). I try to limit my time online.....I could go on, but there are many more things I do on a daily basis. Little things, but they add up. I support orgs that are devoted to informing the population with a donation (knowledge is power). I basically live on the fringe of society to best of my ability. I hope this helps.
Would be easier to plainly tell everyone…
All rabbit holes are 90 % lie 10 % truth.
Even the antique greek I found that holds the most truth is buried under thousand propaganda.
Really… I cant find one subject that stayed intact and still holds only truth.
Except this 1 : I’m glad your back and 🆗
🐺 🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺🐺
Jean-Sebastien, I think there's a lot of truth in that. Most rabbit holes seem to contain a mixture of signal and noise, truth and distortion. The deeper you go, the more discernment matters.
I've come to view rabbit holes less as destinations and more as digging sites. Sometimes you find a gold coin. Sometimes you find a rusty can. Sometimes you find both in the same shovel full.
The challenge isn't finding a rabbit hole that is 100% true. The challenge is learning how to separate the gold from the dirt without becoming attached to either.
And thank you for the kind words. The old Wolf got knocked down pretty hard, but he's still here, still breathing, and still howling at the moon.
🐺
When the archeologist found the hidden pottery, he takes it with him and leaves the holes!
I love this ❤️
The wolf is back, and he's better than ever! Thank you for this wonderful article!
At a certain point in life, you discover that the world is ruled by very evil people, that power is very corrupt and corrupts anyone who approaches it. Why does this happen? Because many of us, including ourselves, haven't understood fundamental things about life; we live in darkness and are slowly evolving. The biggest mistake is to think that ignorance and stupidity are exclusively external to us. Things will improve when we improve too!
Good comment here Vernon. Thanks
I'm so glad your back. I've heard you're on X, but when I try to find you there I get mostly Elon and Trump. I'm an old fart and trying to navigate X is difficult. This was excellent. Thank you.
https://x.com/richberry44
Thank you. When I went on X looking for you I was searching Cosmic Onion and never even thought to search for Lone Wolf. I've had a couple of other favorites go to X and I think Linkedin and I just don't follow them anymore. Boo-hoo-hoo!
I love almost everything you write and your formating is awesome!
I do not use X much any more, I do follow Clif High there... https://x.com/clif_high
Yes, I've followed Clif for many years. Universe Provides, Universe Supplies! Love the old fart.
yep
Thank you Sandi
Rabbit holes fill my inbox everyday. Yet there is nothing, and I mean nothing, that suggests what I think we ought to put on our priority list. And that is talking about strategy. Once we have been down rabbit holes, we know they get deeper but knowing many is enough. We don't need to know more, fascinating as they are. What we need to be doing now is talk, talk, talk all the time about the rabbit holes in mixed company, (mixed meaning "rabbit hole divers" and "normies") We are making the normies feel too comfortable in their ignorance. We are playing into their charade just to save them the embarrassment of being stupid. We need to confront stupid. I know, it sounds cruel, but they are so stupid that they don't know the situation their ignorance puts us all in. It is dire and it is urgent and it is a matter of life and death. Not just for me, or for them, but for all life. I don't want to go on being polite, I want to confront. Doesn't that word rattle a lot of people. The opposite is to ignore and avoid, and we should know in our eternal wisdom that that is the worse thing we can do. Because that means we play into the charade and keep the normies thinking it's all wonderful and fine.
Denise, I get where you're coming from. The temptation is to grab people by the shoulders and shake them awake. Most of us who have spent years down various rabbit holes have felt that frustration.
The challenge is that confrontation rarely changes minds. In many cases it just hardens positions. People tend to defend their worldview when they feel attacked, even when the facts are staring them in the face.
My own view is that awareness spreads more like seeds than like sledgehammers. Show people the contradictions. Ask questions. Tell stories. Point out patterns. Let them connect the dots themselves. Some will never look. Some will peek into the hole. A few will climb all the way down.
I agree that pretending everything is fine helps nobody. But I also think awakening can't be forced. The best we can do is keep talking, keep questioning, and keep holding up a mirror. The people who are ready will see themselves in it.
The goal isn't to win arguments. The goal is to help people notice the board they're standing on.